Aurors in Wonderland
by Asagi Tsuki
Summary: Pansy Parkinson comes to the Auror office to report the disappearance of Draco Malfoy.  Auror Potter and Auror Weasley find themselves in Wonderland in an attempt to retrieve the missing man.


**Aurors in Wonderland**

By: Asagi Tsuki

Beta: seizethestreets

Pairing: Harry/Draco

Summary: Pansy Parkinson comes to the Auror office to report the disappearance of Draco Malfoy. Auror Potter and Auror Weasley find themselves in Wonderland in an attempt to retrieve the missing man.

Warning: OOCness, non-canon compliant, slight Ginny bashing

Disclaimer: obviously, Harry Potter is not written by me. If it were, it would be so lame, that this fandom would be non-existent. And I would be off writing another book instead of fanfics.

A/N: don't be fooled by the seemingly happy title. In fact, this is my first attempt at a serious fic, so I hope I don't botch this up royally. As I've said above, this story is pretty much non-canon compliant, and you will see why shortly. There are also characterization changes in most characters, and while Draco is supposedly the 'damsel in distress' in this fic, I didn't want him to be completely useless.

My longest one-shot to date! I'm happy with the accomplishment :P I'm never good at writing long fics.

Anyway, enjoy!

**Aurors in Wonderland**

Harry walked into the small office he shared with his partner and best mate Ron while wondering if he could take a couple of days off starting the next day. He had just gotten a call from Andromeda saying that Teddy had been bored out of his mind during his school holiday because he had no one to play with. He had asked her back where Draco was, because he usually came over to take Teddy out, but Andromeda only said Narcissa told her that Draco had been busy.

Harry felt that something was wrong. Ever since Tonks' death in the War, Draco had seemingly made it his personal goal to spend as much time with Teddy as possible, because he was one of the few family members Teddy had left. However, he knew that life as a Potions master apprentice wasn't easy, so who was he to judge if Draco was too busy to make time for his little nephew?

Harry certainly had days when he was too busy to spend time with anyone too.

"Why the long face, mate?" Ron asked, looking up from his paperwork.

"Do you want to take days off?" Harry asked back.

Ron looked at him curiously. "Do you?"

"I do."

"Well, I suppose I could use some time off too," Ron said with a shrug. It was an unwritten agreement between them that if one was sick or was on a leave, the other would take a leave too, simply because they didn't work well with other Aurors as their partner.

"Okay, I'll ask for the form," Harry said, turning back to walk out of the office.

"Auror Potter," Helena, the secretary of the Auror department, called as she knocked and Harry paused. "Someone's here to see you."

"Tell them to come in," Harry said as he walked around to sit at his desk.

The door opened and in came the last person he expected to walk through that door—Pansy Parkinson.

"Potter, Weasley," she greeted with a clipped tone.

"Parkinson," Harry greeted back while Ron stared at her warily. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here to ask you to find someone for me," Pansy said easily, settling down on the chair across Harry's desk like she owned the place.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but we're planning on taking a leave starting tomorrow," Harry replied nonchalantly. "I'm sure there are other Aurors who could help you find your missing person."

Harry stood up and was about to escort Pansy out of the office when her next words stopped him in his tracks.

"Even if I told you the missing person is Draco Malfoy?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to take a leave," Harry said as he glanced at Ron who was walking beside him up towards the Malfoy Manor.

"Nonsense," Ron said with a snort. "You were the one who wanted to take a leave, not me. It wasn't my plan that got thwarted, so you don't have to be sorry to me."

Harry offered him a grin, and they kept on walking.

After Pansy piqued Harry's interest with that sentence, she told them that she wasn't sure how Draco disappeared in the first place and suggested that they talk to Narcissa Malfoy for more details. She said that Draco had been missing for about two weeks, which served to surprise both of them as they had had no report from the Lady Malfoy yet.

Ever since the end of the War, when the Malfoy family's role as spies were made publicly known, they had been under constant protection by the Aurors until all the remaining Death Eaters and Voldemort supporters were captured and sent to Azkaban. Since the fall of Voldemort was made possible by them, the Death Eaters saw them as the ultimate traitors.

They had lost Lucius Malfoy during a Death Eater attack at the Malfoy Manor two years back. He died protecting Draco from a stray curse while Draco was fighting his own share of Death Eaters. Ever since then, they were given around-the-clock protection, instead of only when they were going out like it used to be.

Harry and Ron hadn't been assigned to look after the Malfoy family in over three weeks. They found it strange that not only Narcissa hadn't made the report, none of the Aurors on duty had reported it as well.

Ron had been surprised when Pansy mentioned Draco's name like someone pulling out their trump card. He wondered if she knew about Harry's crush on the blonde, but it appeared that she was using Harry's obsession on Draco during their school years instead of his secret protectiveness. He saw Harry let out a small sigh of relief, and couldn't help but grin.

After the pretty-much unhelpful talk with Pansy, they knew nothing but the fact that Draco was missing. So they found themselves at the Manor, sitting awkwardly across from a very distraught Narcissa Malfoy.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," Narcissa said with a strained smile. "What brings you here?"

"Mrs. Malfoy," Harry greeted. "I got word that Draco has been missing for a while now."

Her eyes narrowed and got suspiciously redder. "Who said that?"

"Someone," Harry said quickly. "Do you know how he went missing?"

Narcissa fell silent.

"Mrs. Malfoy—"

"I'm sorry," Narcissa said as she stood up. "I apologize for being a rude host, but I have to ask you to leave now."

"Mrs. Malfoy—"

"Why won't you tell us?" Ron demanded suddenly. "You know where he is, don't you? Why don't you tell us? Why don't you report his disappearance to us?"

"Ron!" Harry scolded.

"Mr. Weasley," Narcissa replied, her voice thick with agitation and sorrow. "Don't you think that if I could I would have told you?"

"I—"

"Draco is my only son," Narcissa continued. "He is the only family I have left. Is it wrong of me not to want him to suffer more than he already has? Is it wrong of me not to want to see him cry?"

Ron bowed his head down, looking properly chastised. "I'm sorry,"

Narcissa quietly accepted the apologies, and they quickly excused themselves. Once outside, the two turned to look at each other.

"It seems we'll still be taking our leave," Harry said. "This isn't an Auror case."

"I know," Ron said. "I'm still coming with you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Ron confirmed. "I swear we will bring him back safe and sound."

Harry's lips twitched into a playful grin. "Do you want to tell me something?"

Ron looked aghast. "Goodness, no!"

"Hey, easy, I'm just pulling your chains," Harry said as he chuckled. "But why the sudden change?"

"It's because of Mrs. Malfoy," Ron said, grimacing a little as he remembered her outburst earlier.

"What about her?"

"She reminds me of my mother," Ron admitted. "When Fred died, she was devastated. Fred was one of seven, yet she was grieving for a very long time. How much worse would it be for her, because Malfoy is her only son?"

Harry's expression sobered up before he broke into a slow, soft smile. "You are a good son, Ron," he said. "Your mother is very lucky to have you."

Ron grinned at him. "Thanks mate," he said. "Now, why don't we go see Parkinson again and ask what makes her decide to report it _now_?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"We knew Draco was missing, but Narcissa wouldn't tell us how he disappeared," Pansy said as casually as she could, lifting her cup of tea to her lips for another sip. She had been surprised when both Harry and Ron turned up at her doorstep requesting some of her time for further questions regarding the case. "She told us where he is. Blaise, Theo, Vince and Greg went there to try and take him back but..."

The two Aurors sat quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, let's just say that they're not successful, as Draco is still not here with us," Pansy said with a sigh. She placed her elbow on the table in front of her, and rested her chin on her fist. "The maniac does have a twisted mind, however. When they entered the enclosure, a projection of Draco was there. He has been crying."

"And he made Draco watch as his friends try and fail. He didn't want anyone else to end up like them, so he had begged Narcissa not to tell anyone else where he is," Pansy finished. "That was over a week ago. I can't stand to just sit quietly any more, and I figured that you, Potter, with your hero complex and Gryffindor stupidity would take the case, even if you don't like him just because you can't stand to know that an innocent person is suffering somewhere."

"Can we use your Floo?" Harry asked as soon as Pansy had finished. His tone was impatient and slightly suspicious.

"Sure, be my guest," Pansy said. She stood up and led them to the living room, where the fireplace was. She watched as Harry grabbed a pinch of the powder and shouted 'Malfoy Manor' before stepping in, and Ron followed closely.

"Gryffindor brutes," Pansy commented with a click of her tongue. "Don't even say goodbye to their host."

Meanwhile, a Malfoy house elf nearly hexed them on the spot when they emerged from the fireplace, if Narcissa hadn't stopped him just in time.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," Narcissa greeted. "Why are you back so soon?"

"Draco's disappearance is now officially our case," Harry said. "If you would tell us how he went missing and where he is, we will bring him back with us, alive and well. I promise."

Narcissa hesitated.

"Mrs. Malfoy," Harry continued. "This is our personal case. We're working on it in our free time, just the two of us."

Narcissa covered her mouth with her hand, trembling as her eyes welled with tears. "It was them," she said, a small sob interrupting her. "The Aurors got him."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry and Ron returned to the office to ask who was in charge of the Malfoy family at the time Draco disappeared. Kingsley asked why they were back so soon, and had nearly destroyed his own office when he knew what had happened. He had promised not to say anything before they captured the two, and Harry and Ron went to see Hermione while they waited.

"It seems the captor is indeed a maniac," Hermione commented. "They want Malfoy to either drive himself insane by being alone and isolated for long, or by having to watch those who care for him nearly die as they try saving him."

"Nearly die?" Ron squeaked. "Parkinson didn't say anything about that!"

"Yes, well, the four you said tried to save him were submitted to St. Mungo's for severe burns and flesh wounds," Hermione said. "Be sure to take some healing salve with you. And take your broom too. You never know if you'll need it."

"Alright," Harry agreed.

"And don't continue if you're already within an inch of your life," Hermione added. "I'm sure Malfoy will appreciate being saved by a healthy and fully intact person more than a walking dead person."

Helena then came to notify Harry and Ron that the Aurors in charge were already captured and were ready to be interrogated. Also, as they were speaking, Kingsley was calling an emergency meeting of all Aurors and Ministry workers. He intended to dose them all with Veritaserum to find out who actually sided with the Dark Side and still sides with it.

Harry wasn't surprised when he saw Heinett and Maxim in the interrogation room. He had never liked the two and had constantly wondered how they could be accepted as Aurors. They never took their job seriously and liked to torture suspected criminals even before they confirmed if the person was indeed a criminal or not.

When they walked in, both Heinett and Maxim looked up before they grinned, an unholy gleam in their eyes.

"I trust you know why we're here," Harry said curtly, glaring coldly at the men seated in their chairs on the other side of the interrogation room, separated by a glass wall.

"Of course, Auror Potter," Heinett said mockingly. "You're trying to take the bitch back."

In a split second, Heinett had a wand pointed between his eyes, and another pointed at his heart.

"If I were you, I'd watch what I say," Harry said darkly, glowering as he did so. "I can kill you and make it look like an accident."

"Is that so," Heinett said challengingly. "Then go and try to take him back."

He slipped a piece of paper through the hole in the glass. Both Harry and Ron checked it for curses and such before Harry picked it up. On it was written a set of coordinates.

The two stared at each other, and nodded. They walked out of the interrogation room, leaving Kingsley to deal with them. He told them to be careful on the rescue mission; and they promised they would try.

"I'll get some healing salves," Ron offered. "You should go pick up your broom. We'll meet at the main Apparition point at the atrium in fifteen minutes."

"Alright," Harry agreed. They both walked to the Apparition point and then disappeared.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry couldn't tell whether he expected what he was seeing or not. When they had gone to the place indicated by the coordinates given by Heinett, they found themselves on a small, isolated island. In the middle of the island was a big, circular space enclosed by thick stone walls that surrounded it like a fort. There was only one entrance. The sky above wasn't blue like it was in England when they left. It was gloomy and dark, with the occasional lightning and thunder.

As they walked over to the entrance, they felt the temperature dropping. It was a danger sign, and they froze in place, frantically looking around to see if they could spot any Dementors nearby—but not near enough to fully affect them. Their suspicion was confirmed when they saw the Dementors gliding towards them from the direction of the entrance.

"_Expecto patronum_!" they both shouted at the same time, and their Patronuses shot out from the tip of their wands, driving the Dementors away.

Once they were sure the Dementors wouldn't come back for a while, they continued on to the entrance. As soon as they got to the other side, the door closed by itself behind them, and locked, forbidding them exit.

"What?" Ron exclaimed in surprise. "That can't be. How did those guys escape this place then?"

An eerie voice came out of nowhere, echoing in the open space. "Welcome to Wonderland. The fair Alice waits at the centre of this illusion."

"Creep," Ron commented darkly. "I wonder which arsehole said that—Heinett or Maxim."

"I'm going for Heinett," Harry replied.

Suddenly, a giant sphere appeared in front of them, and Harry nearly fell down from stopping so suddenly so that he didn't crash onto it. Inside of it was Draco Malfoy, hair unkempt, eyes red, swollen and puffy. His lips were swollen too, possibly from biting onto them too much. He was curled up into a ball to better fit in the sphere and staring at them in disbelief.

What intrigued Harry the most was the droplets of liquid that floated about in the sphere. They had nearly filled half of the sphere, and Harry positively seethed in fury when he realized what they were—Draco's tears.

"Potter, Weasley," he leaned closer to them, pressing his palms against the sphere. "Why are you here?"

"We're on a suicide mission to bring you back," Ron said, but then panicked when he saw Draco's eyes widen and heard Harry scolding him. "No! We're not suicidal at all!"

"Malfoy," Harry called as softly as he could, pressing his own palm against the sphere, right against Draco's. "We won't die. I promise."

"But—"

"No, really, I promise that when you see us in person, we will still look like this, not missing a limb or anything," Harry said, chuckling. "Have some faith in me, would you?"

Draco snorted. "Saint Potter," he said. "I will hold you onto your words."

"Of course," Harry said.

"Say, Malfoy, how did those four exit this place?" Ron asked curiously, still staring at the locked door behind them.

"I sent them out," Draco answered. "My magic is still recovering from it, so I can't stay here for long. When you're closer to where I am, I will try and contact you again."

"Nowhere in this place is safe," Draco added. "This first obstacle is a sentient forest. Once you step into the boundary, they will start attacking you. The next one is a dragon."

"We figured that much from the types of wounds they sustained," Ron commented. "Do you know the type of the dragon, though?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't get a good look at it," Draco replied. "I remember it being ferocious and frequently fire-breathing. Definitely one of the fiercer types. I have a feeling that it's a Hungarian Horntail."

The two stared at him.

"Well, I still could be wrong," Draco said quickly. "It could just be a Chinese Fireball... it's not helping much, is it?"

Ron shook his head while Harry laughed.

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" Harry asked. "I knew we're going up against a dragon. I'll be careful."

"You went against a Hungarian Horntail, didn't you," Draco commented.

"Indeed, I did," Harry confirmed. "Rest, Malfoy. We'll manage through the first few obstacles."

"If you say so," Draco said. "I still don't understand why you're here. It's not like we're friends."

"I'm an Auror, you're a victim. Doesn't that explain enough?" Harry asked with a grin. "And I swear I will reach you. I will find you and bring you back to your mother."

"You're so confident."

"That's because I still have that same power I used to defeat Voldemort," Harry said. "And with it, I will save you."

While Draco looked at him in confusion, Ron's jaw dropped to the ground. He knew that Harry had harboured feelings for the blonde brat for a while, but he never realized just how deep those feelings ran.

"I don't understand," Draco said. "Haven't you been growing in power lately?"

"One day," Harry started, "when I'm not such a coward anymore, I will tell you what it means. For now, just go get some rest. I'll see you soon."

Draco still looked torn between allowing the two Aurors to proceed and sending them off, but a look into Harry's determined eyes made his decision for him. He nodded and disappeared from sight.

"Mate," Ron said slowly. "Next time you're going to be lovey-dovey with Malfoy, please wait until I'm not there."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

True to what Draco had said, when they crossed an imaginary border in the first section of the enclosure, the trees came to life. They uprooted themselves and turned to face them. The two wished the trees would grow a face like an ent, so that they could tell where they were looking at.

Harry returned his Firebolt to its original size, but soon found out that aside from being a sentient forest, the area was a dead zone for any kind of flying, which meant they had to cross it on foot.

Suddenly, they were grateful that the trees hadn't developed faces like ents, because at least that meant the trees couldn't eat them.

Never let it be said that Aurors were all pessimists.

The two ran as fast as they could, dodging and ducking the swipes aimed at them. Some of the trees they burned, some they chopped down, some they tied up, and the rest they evaded. Once their number was nearly cut in half, the trees grew even more vicious, and the two found out that they could run even faster as they ran for their lives.

As soon as they crossed the other side of the forest, the trees became still once again, and they fell down in a heap on the ground, panting harshly.

"They're not trying to get us to lower our guard and then eat us, are they?" Ron asked as he lifted his head up to peek at the trees.

"I surely hope not," Harry replied. "I'm never going to fight against a forest again."

"Same here," Ron added. "Let's just relax here for a while and gather our energy while Malfoy rests too."

Harry nodded in agreement, not trusting himself to speak because he had just started wheezing. Ron reached out to hit his back and Harry glared at Ron who was grinning shamelessly as he coughed.

The two then sat up, still resting their twitching legs, and looked around. The inside of the enclosure was a circular, one-track maze. Walls separated the sections and each section had its own obstacle. There were double stone doors that led the way to the next section, so they wouldn't know what waited for them on the other side unless they opened the doors.

After they deemed themselves sufficiently rested and were sure they wouldn't fall over when they tried to stand, the two made their way to the double doors. Ron pushed the door open, then jumped back with a squeak when a tongue of fire greeted him. The door he pushed open was slammed back closed by the force of the fire, and the black stone doors turned bright red.

"We're screwed," Ron stated. "It's the Horntail alright."

"We're lucky Hermione told us to bring a broom," Harry commented. "Although I'm not sure I actually _want_ to face another Horntail."

"Would you rather face the Horntail or ask Malfoy to come to the Christmas celebration at The Burrow this year?" Ron asked with a grin, referring to Harry's comment on his preference to facing a Horntail rather than asking a girl to the Yule Ball.

Harry took out his broom again, returning it to its original size and gripped it tightly in his hand. "The Horntail it is."

After the stone doors cooled slightly, Ron kicked it open and threw a conjured dummy as far as he could to distract the Horntail. Once it turned around to look at the dummy, Harry flew in through the door on his Firebolt, then led the dragon away from the entrance, allowing Ron entry.

Harry was infinitely grateful that Ron had decided to come with him on this rescue mission, and that Charlie told his siblings how to handle dragons for if they ever cross one.

Harry flew around, making sure the Horntail didn't catch sight of Ron, and guided it so that Ron could aim at its eyes. Because the whole body of the dragon was made of thick scales, the only part of it that was weak towards magic was the eyes. They had discussed their strategy for waiting for the doors to cool—Harry would fly to distract the dragon since he had superior flying skills from years of being a Seeker, and Ron would aim at its eyes, blinding it before binding it.

The first time Ron aimed for the dragon's eye, it caught sight of him and he had to jump behind a huge rock for shelter while Harry swooped down right in front of the Horntail to distract it again.

The second time he tried, the dragon didn't stay put for long enough, and next thing he knew he was pressing himself as close to the ground as he could while the dragon's tail swiped above him.

The third time, he finally struck the dragon's eye, blinding it and causing it to roar in anger. As it turned to see who the culprit was, he quickly blinded the other eye, then bound and knocked the dragon unconscious. It fell down with a loud thud, and Harry joined him on the ground soon after.

"Well, what do you know?" Ron asked as he puffed his chest out in pride. "The Muggles were right. Third time's the charm."

Harry could only chuckle and shake his head. Ron's Auror robe was singed at the end, and the front was muddy from that time he acquainted himself closely with the ground to avoid the dragon's wagging tail.

They debated for a while about what to do with the dragon, but then decided none of them wanted to kill it, so they just headed for the next door and hoped they wouldn't have to see another dragon.

To their surprise—a pleasant one—the next room was a grass field filled with snakes. It would be a nightmare for most people, but not for Harry, last known parselmouth. The two Aurors relaxed a bit when they saw the snakes, knowing it wouldn't be too hard for them to get through.

At least they hoped the snakes wouldn't give them a difficult time.

"_Let us pass_," Harry hissed as he stood a meter away from the opened door. None of the snakes crossed the door, as if they were charmed not to be able to pass through.

"_Why, we haven't met one of us in a long time_," the cobra at the front of the other snakes hissed back.

"_Have you come to get the dragon_?" a rattlesnake asked.

"_What if I have_?" Harry asked back.

"_The dragon is one of us too_," the cobra hissed. "_Go, and may Lady Luck favour you_."

Harry hesitantly walked past the door and into the next section. When the snakes made no move to attack him, he walked a couple of meters in and then beckoned for Ron to follow him.

The snakes kept their promise, and they made their way across the field without a hitch. Once they reached the other end, Harry turned back and hissed out a short thank you to the snakes, who only wished them luck again.

This time Harry was the one who opened the door. He was surprised to see a meadow full of flowers. There were some trees here and there, and they were flowering too. In the middle, there was a lake with crystal-clear water, and a formation of rocks in the middle of it. Beautiful blondes sat on the rocks, dressed in flowing dresses and carrying a lyre each. A wreath of flowers decorated their heads, and their eyes shone as they sang, playing their lyres as an orchestra, their lovely voices drawing them in.

"I thought all the places are supposed to be obstacles," Ron commented as he stared at the singing women. The one sitting on the rock closest to them smiled at them and beckoned for them to come closer.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Why don't we ask them where the next door is?"

Ron looked around, and then noticed that indeed he couldn't see where the next door was. The meadow was endless and the sky was blue, very much unlike the sky over the first three obstacles.

"It's as if we've been transported into another place," Ron said.

Harry walked over to the lake, and the woman giggled, beckoning him to come even closer.

"_...ter..."_

Ron joined him, but they stopped a couple of meters away from the lakeside. "Ladies, we have a question!"

"_Pot... o... ter..."_

"Ron," Harry said. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Ron asked back.

"It feels like someone's calling me," Harry said, looking around. He saw no one, and the women had stopped singing in favour of watching them with interest.

"What do you want to ask?" the woman closest to them asked as she smiled widely.

"_...rry..."_

"Do you know where this is?" Ron asked curiously. "We're supposed to find a door to the next section."

The woman giggled. "What door?"

The two turned around to see the doors they had just went through, but to their surprise, the doors weren't there.

"How could it be?" Ron asked, then turned back to the women. "Where is this?"

"_Harry!"_

Harry jerked back, feeling like he had just been slapped. As he blinked, the scenery seemed to shatter like a mirror right in front of his eyes, revealing what was behind. The meadow full of flowers was actually dry and cracked ground, filled with dry, brown grass. The trees were dead; only the branches were left.

The women, still sitting on the rocks, turned out to be serpent-faced sirens with a crown of thorns adorning their heads. Their slitted eyes gleamed in unholy glee.

In a fit of panic, Harry pulled Ron towards him and slapped him hard. The redhead was about to demand an explanation for the sudden, unwelcome slap when he gaped as he took in his surrounding, and Harry knew that the illusion surrounding his friend had shattered too.

The sirens screeched in anger when they realized that their two victims had broken free from their grasps. They jumped into the water and began swimming towards them.

"Barricade the lake!"

The two didn't bother to find out who had shouted the command. Their first instinct was to survive the siren attack, and they drew out their wands quickly, casting spells that created barriers around the lake, preventing the sirens from reaching them.

The sirens screeched even more, but after a while, they noticed that they weren't getting past, and instead went back underwater, leaving the two be.

The two let out a sigh of relief in unison and sagged slightly as tension and fear diffused out of their system. Harry then turned around and saw Draco staring at them from inside the sphere he was trapped in.

"Malfoy," Harry said, almost surprised. He looked much better than the first time he saw him, his eyes and lips less swollen. "Thanks for your help."

"It's only right," Draco replied. "After all, you're trying to save me."

"Indeed," Harry said. "You weren't affected by the illusions?"

"No," Draco answered. "I'm only a projection, remember? I don't have a physical body here, and they can't see me. Only you two can."

"So we're close enough to you?" Ron asked.

Draco nodded. "You're now almost to the middle circle," he said. "I'll try my best to help you in the next obstacles."

"Are you rested now?" Harry wondered.

"Not really, but I'll manage," Draco answered. "Really. You're not that far from where I am."

"Good," Ron said. "I don't think I can stand this for much longer. Remind me to go find Heinett and Maxim and give them a good beating once we get back."

"I'd like that too," Harry said with a chuckle. "Now then, shall we go to the next section?"

"Come along, Malfoy," Ron said.

"I wish I could walk," Malfoy complained as the sphere floated along beside the two Aurors as they made their way to the next set of doors. "This feels funny."

"You look cute like that," Harry commented off-handedly.

"Potter!"

"What, no more Harry?" Harry teased, grinning at the blushing blonde who had started muttering under his breath.

"Mate, what did I say at the entrance?" Ron groaned.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When they opened the door to the next section, the first thing they realized was how hot the room was. Draco hadn't felt it because he was only a projection, but both Ron and Harry had to take off their outer robes to keep themselves from overheating even though they had cast cooling charms on themselves.

Their charms weren't as good as Hermione's, and the cooling charm only helped to reduce the temperature from the stifling heat to uncomfortable heat. Draco would have offered to do the charms, but he wasn't sure he could. After all, he didn't have his wand with him while in this form.

"There are stepping stones," Harry commented as he walked closer to the lava lake spanning across the section. "And words are carved on them."

Ron and Draco came closer and inspected the stones as well. Indeed they had words carved upon them. The first row of stones had 'but', 'and', 'won't', 'don't', and 'shall.'

"I suppose there is a sequence that we have to obey in stepping on them or we will fall down," Ron said. "But what is the sequence?"

"Don't we want to know?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes. "It could be anything."

"Let me try crossing the lake," Draco said. He flew off before any of the two could stop him and hovered above the stones, reading the words written on them as he crossed to the other side, then flew back.

"So?" Ron asked.

"Let me think for a while," Draco said, frowning. "I'm pretty sure I've read it somewhere. I just can't quite remember where yet. Keep on casting the cooling charms on yourself meanwhile."

"There must be a clue somewhere in this place," Harry said. "We just don't know where."

Draco scowled. "Don't you think I've realized that, Potter?"

Harry was about to retort when Ron spoke up.

"You know, I still don't know why that arsehole called this place Wonderland," Ron said. "And who is Alice, anyway?"

Draco's mouth formed an 'o'. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "Weasley, you're a genius! The sequence is a verse from the short poem in Alice in Wonderland!"

"You actually read a Muggle book?" Harry asked incredulously, and Draco scowled at him again.

"Now let me think about just which verse it is," Draco said.

"So the clue is the fact that the git referred to this place as the Wonderland?" Ron asked disbelievingly.

"And the fact that he refers to Malfoy as Alice, the girl who falls down the rabbit hole and finds herself trapped in a crazy world with wacky characters," Harry explained, and Draco pointedly ignored him. "It's a Muggle book by Lewis Carroll. I'll show you the book one day."

"Have you remembered the verse yet?" Ron asked then, turning his attention to Draco.

"Yes, in fact I have," he replied, nearly beaming in pride. "Come along, and I'll guide you through."

"You promise you won't deliberately let us fall?" Ron asked with a grin.

"Oh please, Weasley. If I wanted you dead I wouldn't have bothered saving you from the sirens," Draco scoffed.

The two then decided that Harry would go first and Ron would follow him. Draco led them to the other side safely using the last verse of the poem the White Rabbit had read out during Alice's trial in front of the King and Queen of Hearts.

"_Don't let him know she liked them best,_

_For this must ever be,_

_A secret, kept from all the rest,_

_Between yourself and me."_

Harry was not stupid. He knew that it might not mean anything, but he felt that the verse wasn't chosen randomly. Even if it was, he still wasn't going to take chances.

"Ron," he said once they had crossed the lake. "Wait here."

"Huh?" Ron asked. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going ahead by myself," Harry stated. Before Ron could say anything, he continued, "The verse says something about keeping a secret. It might be a challenge for only one person to continue."

"And it could be not," Ron retorted. "Please, mate, save your speculation and heroics for some other time. We're in this together, aren't we?"

"I know," Harry said. "But—"

"Look," Ron interrupted him, "we'll just try to go ahead together, and if we can't, then you're welcome to go by yourself."

Harry sighed. Both being Gryffindors, they were equally stubborn.

"Alright," he agreed.

The two walked up to the next set of stone doors, but when they opened it, a group of fairies blocked their path.

"You can't go in together," one of the fairies said.

The fairies laughed as they flew around and then pointed at Harry.

"You, the one with the glasses," a fairy said. "You shall pass."

Ron scowled but didn't say anything. He didn't even bother questioning the fairies on their decision to choose Harry. He knew Harry wanted to reach Draco more than he did, but he still felt bad for letting him go by himself.

"Wish me luck," Harry said before he walked into the next section.

"I'll make sure he doesn't die," Draco said before they left.

The next section was a hedge maze and Harry was reminded of the maze from the last task in the Triwizard Tournament. He hated mazes, but if he had to go through it, then he would.

"Stay close to me," Harry said. "Don't go off on your own."

Draco snorted. "I won't get lost."

Harry ignored him and tried to make his way through the hedge. It proved to be impossible, however, because the hedge wouldn't give. He tried sticking his hand through, but yelped in pain and quickly pulled it back when he felt the many thorns pricking him.

"Guess we'll have to do this the hard way," Draco said. "I could scout ahead and tell you the way."

"No," Harry replied. "This isn't a normal maze. Do you feel it?"

"What should I feel?"

"The magic in this place is simmering, as if eager to do something," Harry commented. "I just don't know what."

"Potter, if I—"

"No."

"Why not?" Draco demanded. "I can find my way back to you easily!"

Harry wondered if Draco heard himself speak. His stomach fluttered slightly at the sentence.

"Potter? Did I say something wrong?"

"No," he said. "But you're not going ahead either."

"Fine, be that way," Draco said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He then focused on sensing the working of the magic in the place surrounding them instead while he mindlessly followed Harry as he made his way through the maze.

After ten minutes of walking and encountering dead ends, Draco spoke up again.

"Potter," he started uncertainly. "The maze is shifting."

"Is it?"

"Constantly, at every turn you make," Draco replied. "Did you feel it?"

"No. I was too intent on finding the way out," Harry answered honestly. He then turned to look at Draco. "What do you suggest we do now?"

"Well, we could always try to burn a way through the maze," Draco said. "Why don't you try it? Use the strongest fire spell you know."

Harry tried out Draco's suggestion and cast _Incendio_ on the hedge. It burned a hole through the hedge, but it soon grew back again.

"Do you know any powerful fire spells?" Draco queried. "Can you cast Fiendfyre?"

Harry's eyes widened and he swivelled around to stare at Draco in disbelief. "You're not really suggesting that, are you? I've never cast it before! We could die!"

"No we won't," Draco said. "At least I won't."

"My, what a reassuring thought," Harry spat sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Potter, where's your Gryffindor stupidity? I thought all Gryffindors act first and think about the consequences later."

"Not when I'm trying to create an inferno around myself with no sure way of knowing I won't get fried in the process."

"You won't die. You promised."

Harry chuckled. "Yes, but that was before I knew I'm supposed to try something this suicidal."

"I'll help you," Draco said. "Come on."

"Fine," Harry said finally, knowing the blonde wasn't going to let himself be deterred. "Let's do our worst."

Taking out his wand, Harry tried his best to remember the fire spell that he had seen Dumbledore cast once. He mimicked the wand movement and shouted out the spell. He was surprised that he managed to remember such small detail when a jet of fire streamed out from the tip of his wand, making its way past the hedges and burning everything in its path.

"Keep concentrating," Draco said, and Harry knew he would be stupid to ignore that piece of advice, no matter how obvious it should be.

The flame tried to break free and consume everything again and again, and Harry was starting to struggle in reining it in. However, just when he was about to lose hope, he felt a wave of magic enveloping him and pulling the fire back.

When it was over, the maze was burned down to the ground, and he could clearly see the door to the next section right in front of him.

"We did it!" Harry exclaimed, the excitement from controlling the fire and escaping a near-death experience nearly consuming him whole. He turned to look at Draco, but found his stomach sinking instead at what he saw.

"I knew you could do it," Draco said with a grin.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked cautiously. "What's happening?"

Draco was still in the sphere, floating about, but the image of him was getting blurrier by the second.

"My magic is running low," Draco answered. "You'll have to make your way to the centre by yourself. I'm sorry I can't help much."

Harry snorted. "Nonsense. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to control the fyre."

"Then I trust you can reach the centre by yourself, Potter," Draco said. "Come find me."

"I will," Harry promised.

He watched as Draco got blurrier until he disappeared from sight. He walked towards the door and into the next section. It was surprisingly small, and he couldn't see the doors to the next section anywhere. He wondered if it was an illusion or if he had reached the last section.

If he had, where was Draco?

As if answering his question, the sphere containing Draco appeared in front of him. He frowned when he saw that the droplets of tears were no longer floating, but rather collecting at the base, and they were starting to fill up the sphere.

"Potter," Draco called as he reached forward, pressing his palms against the sphere and staring at Harry with wide eyes filled with panic and fear. "Save me."

The liquid filled the sphere up quickly. So quickly that within a minute Draco was already struggling to keep himself above it so he could breathe.

Harry wasted no time and began firing spells at the sphere, hoping to break it. None of the spells worked, and when the liquid had completely filled the sphere, submerging Draco under it, he truly began to panic. He conjured physical objects to hit the sphere with, but it didn't even crack.

"Harry," Draco mouthed, air bubbles coming out of his mouth. "Save me."

"Shut up Malfoy!" Harry shouted. "Just shut up!"

Draco nodded obediently, saving his breath as he watched Harry try to break the sphere open. When it became too much, he started choking on the liquid.

"No!" Harry shouted. "Please, just a little longer! Hold on just a little longer!"

Draco opened his reddened eyes and stared at Harry. A soft smile graced his lips as he closed his eyes, adopting a serene look. "I'm sorry, Harry," he mouthed. "Goodbye."

"Riddikulus!" Harry shouted, pointing his wand at the sphere. His heart clenched and he waited with bated breath to see what would happen next. He truly didn't know if it was a Bogart or if it was real, but deep inside his heart, he hoped against hope that it was a Bogart, and that the real Draco was somewhere else, safe and waiting for him.

The laughter that he let out when the vision of Draco drowning inside the sphere turned into a giant, colourful beach ball bouncing around was genuine, unrestrained, and filled with relief. He watched as the Bogart ran off and reached up a hand to wipe the tears that had fallen from his eyes.

"Darned arseholes," Harry cursed, now knowing why only one person was allowed to continue past the lava lake—because they would realize it was a Bogart when it shifted to assume the form of something feared by the one closest to it, and Harry would have shoved Ron towards it. He'd rather fight a spider.

He also realized why the fairies had chosen to let him pass. The little buggers knew he would be affected much more greatly by the Bogart.

The encounter with the Bogart had been enlightening for him, though. He hadn't realized when exactly his fear had changed from Dementors to watching someone he loved die in front of him while he was powerless to do anything. He suspected the War had done that to him, but seeing Draco dying as the personification of his fear had made him even more certain that what he claimed at the beginning was true.

He approached the next set of doors warily. He opened it slowly and sighed in relief when he saw a small bed in the middle of a small room. Draco was lying on it, peacefully asleep, and Harry realized that the image of Draco they saw was indeed a projection. It was what the Muggles called an astral projection.

Harry stepped closer to study the peacefully sleeping blonde. It was then that he noticed the small card placed next to his head. Curious, he picked it up, and nearly laughed out loud when he read the contents.

"_Only a true love's kiss will wake Sleeping Beauty up."_

"So it seems the jerk has a fascination with Muggle tales," Harry commented, pocketing the card. He resolved not to tell Draco about the reference to another blonde woman aside from when he was trying to tease the blonde.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves, Harry then leaned down and pressed his lips against Draco's. It was a chaste kiss, lasting only two seconds at most, and he pulled back quickly, watching Draco closely for any reaction. His heart swelled and he swore a thousand butterflies broke free from their bindings in his stomach when he saw Draco's eyes flutter open.

"Hey," Harry greeted with a lopsided grin.

Draco stared up at him with a matching grin. "Hey you too."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ron had taken to drawing in the ground in boredom. He was never good at staying put for a long time, and he had even considered going back to the room with the Horntail to find some excitement, before his voice of reason, which suspiciously sounded a lot like Hermione, stated flatly that it was a horrible idea and that even he and his stupidity shouldn't even have thought that up.

Needless to say, he had jumped up cheering when the doors opened behind him, but faltered when he saw Harry walking in with Draco in his arms.

"Mate—"

"He can't walk," Harry said quickly. "No, really. Doing nothing for two weeks can do that to you."

Ron shut his mouth, deciding not to press it.

"There are wards around this place," Draco commented. "But they're not that strong. I'm sure we can take them down."

The three began working, and Ron had chosen a place quite far from the two, because he kept feeling like a third wheel whenever he was near them.

"Potter."

"Hm?"

"Are you feeling cowardly now?"

"Not particularly. Why?"

"Aren't you going to tell me what you meant, then?"

Harry was about to ask what Draco meant when he suddenly remembered what he had said when they had just entered the enclosure. He didn't expect Draco to still remember that seemingly random comment, but he knew he had to tell him one way or another.

"There was a prophecy from a long time ago," Harry started. Draco stared at him questioningly, wondering where this was headed, but kept quiet. "You know the one about Voldemort and I killing each other, don't you?"

Draco nodded.

"There's another," Harry added. "One that says the Dark Lord will be defeated by a power that he knows not."

"And that power is?"

"Love."

Draco's mouth fell open in disbelief.

"Sorry," Harry said quickly. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Potter," Draco called, but Harry refused to turn to look at him, even as Draco reached out to touch his cheeks. "Harry."

Harry hesitantly turned around to face Draco. He was surprised to see how close Draco's face was to his.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Draco asked, tracing lines on Harry's cheek with his thumb.

"Because you were happy without me in your life," Harry breathed out, his arms still holding Draco close to him. He suddenly had the strange thought of wanting a third arm so he could touch Draco's face.

A smile grew on the blonde man's face. "And it has never occurred to you," he started, "that I might be happier with you in my life?"

Their faces were so close that their lips were brushing against each other's. Harry pulled back slightly to tilt his head so he could press his lips against Draco's and properly kiss him while Draco wound his arms tighter around Harry's shoulders.

"Alright, I give! I won't do anything remotely romantic with Hermione in front of you again! Just stop tormenting me already!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When they had succeeded in taking down the wards, Harry sent off a Patronus. He told Draco it was sent to Narcissa, because she deserved to know that her son is safe before anyone else. They then Apparated to the Ministry building, and soon were joined by Narcissa who was overjoyed upon seeing her only son.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," Narcissa said. "I don't know how I can thank you enough."

The two had dismissed it, saying they were only doing their job. Narcissa then brought Draco with her to St. Mungo's while the two Aurors went to report the outcome of their rescue mission to Kingsley, as well as to ask the progress of his 'cleaning up' in the Ministry. The Minister had agreed when Kingsley suggested it and had helped however he could so the process didn't take as long as it would if he hadn't.

"Good job, you two," Hermione said proudly when she saw the two in their office, slumping over their desk in a near dead faint. "Where is Malfoy now?"

"In St. Mungo's," Ron answered. "I'm sure he'll want to see his friends too."

"Uh-huh," Hermione said. "While you were away, we also managed to capture the last of the remaining Death Eaters, so now the Malfoys don't have to be under Auror surveillance all the time."

"That's great," Harry commented.

"Even if they still do, you don't have to worry about your date being watched closely by someone else," Ron joked. "You're an Auror."

"Oh, has he told Malfoy his feelings, finally?" Hermione asked, a smirk growing on her face.

"Yes, and I'm the victim of their PDA," Ron said with a grumble.

"You should feel lucky you were there to witness it! I know a couple of people who would pay to see the PDA. I, for one, would."

Ron banged his head on his desk while Harry buried his face in the fold of his arms and wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The next few days, Harry religiously visited Draco at every chance he had, bringing flowers to brighten up his room and chocolates to satisfy his sweet tooth. Ever since the interrupted admittance by the lava lakeside, the two had shamelessly flirted with each other, acting like a married couple, but would shy away every time someone asked if they were in a relationship.

Harry was waiting for Draco to admit that they were, and Draco was waiting for Harry to properly ask him out. Needless to say, it had frustrated Hermione out—and Pansy too, once she had gotten over the shock of not knowing that something was going on between her childhood friend and his supposed school rival.

Pansy had urged Draco to just admit that they were going out while Hermione pushed Harry to ask Draco out.

In a true Gryffindor fashion, Harry came to Draco's room with a huge bouquet of red roses and asked him out for dinner once he had finished with his physiotherapy and was able to walk normally again.

After Harry exited, he walked past Blaise's room and was called inside by the taller, dark-skinned man.

"I would have loved to give you the Talk in his father and godfather's place," Blaise said, "but I believe that is not necessary. I cannot thank you enough for saving Draco from that Crazyland, and the least I could do is tell you that you have my blessing, as well as his other friends' blessings. I am sure that Narcissa will give you her blessing too. After all, who would take better care of her son other than the one who had risked his life to save him?"

Harry was happy to know that Draco's friends wouldn't try to kill him for taking him away from them. He was also glad that they cared enough about Draco to make sure he didn't date the wrong person.

He continued on home with a skip in his step and ignored all the strange looks sent his way.

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione entered Draco's room after Harry had left.

"Weasley, Granger," Draco greeted. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We can't help but notice that Harry has finally asked you out," Hermione said with a grin. "Take good care of him, will you?"

Draco stared at the two, studying them closely before agreeing. "Okay," he said. "Aren't you going to warn me or something?"

"No," Hermione said with a shrug. "After all, Harry's the one who asked you out, not the other way around. We trust his judgment, don't we, Ronald?"

"Of course," Ron agreed quickly.

Draco chuckled. "He's lucky to have good friends."

"So are you," Hermione replied.

"So I am," Draco agreed. "Is that all?"

"Oh, I have a warning for you," Ron spoke up.

"What is it?" Draco asked curiously.

"Next time you two are going to be lovey-dovey, make sure I'm not there!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Their dinner date came not soon enough for them. However, they enjoyed it and had made plans for a second date by the time they were finished with it.

"Harry," Draco asked as they were walking down a street lined with various stores. "Why do you like me?"

"Why not?"

"Be serious!" Draco chided.

"Why do _you_ like me?" Harry asked back.

"Because you saved me and my family, as well as my friends," Draco answered easily.

"Isn't that gratitude?" Harry asked again, slightly hurt at the fact that Draco only dated him because he had saved his life.

"That's how I first noticed you, you berk," Draco said, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck and standing on tiptoes to press a kiss on the green-eyed man's lips. "I'm not someone who dates people I don't like."

Harry hummed, leaning down to chase after Draco's lips as he stood up straight again. When he was pleased, he pulled back and rested his forehead on Draco's.

"Do you remember meeting a man named Jake?"

Draco frowned in thought. "Which Jake? I know a couple of Jakes."

"The one you met in the rain."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_Draco was walking home to his flat in Muggle London where he kept all of his brewing supplies. There were a couple of break-ins in his flat in Wizarding London by those who were trying to get their hands on his rare ingredients. Pansy had suggested that he lease a flat in a Muggle complex and put all his ingredients there._

_He had gone out to a local grocery store to buy some snacks and coffee. He was going to pull an all-nighter to finish his latest potion. He was walking back, cursing the rain as he struggled to keep his umbrella from tipping over while making sure his grocery bag didn't fall down, when he noticed a shadowed figure sitting on the pavement, shoulders slumped, hair matted to the head and face buried in their knees._

_Draco knew he shouldn't talk to strangers, but there was something about that person that made him feel sorry for them, so he had approached them._

"_Hey," he called, standing over the person so that his umbrella covered both of them. The person looked up and he identified the person as a male. "What are you doing out here?"_

_The man kept silent and buried his face in his knees again._

"_Hey," Draco called again. He kneeled in front of the man so that they were eye level, and tapped his shoulder. "Come with me. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, just get out of this rain."_

_The man looked up again and stared at Draco intently._

"_Aren't you afraid I'm going to rob you?"_

"_So you can speak," Draco said teasingly. "No, I'm not afraid. You don't look like a criminal."_

"_Not a lot of criminals actually look like criminals."_

"_Indeed," Draco agreed. "So, are you coming or not? I'm starting to freeze my arse off here!"_

_The man laughed, but followed Draco and helped him carry his grocery bag home._

_Truthfully, Draco really wasn't afraid of the man trying to rob him. He had his wand, and if worse came to worst, he'd just have to Obliviate the man and send him back to where he was sitting in the rain._

"_What's your name?" Draco asked. "And why are you out there?"_

"_I'm Jake," the man answered. "I was moping about until you came and brought sunshine to my life."_

_Draco hit him upside the head with a packet of marshmallow that he was about to open._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oh, Jake," Draco said. "What about him? Do you know him?"

"That was me."

"You're having me on," Draco said disbelievingly. "Why would you mope about in Muggle London like a homeless person?"

"I've just broken up with Ginny then," Harry answered. "She was pressuring me into having sex with her. I told her that since I've given my first kiss away, I wanted to at least save that for my future spouse."

Harry ignored Draco's muttering of "Saint Potter" under his breath.

"She then pressured me to marry her," Harry added. "I've grown suspicious by then, because she seemed so desperate. Later on I found out that she's been cheating on me with Seamus, and she has somehow gotten pregnant."

"So she wanted you to think that it's your child," Draco said.

Harry only nodded.

"Stupid Potter," Draco said, ruffling Harry's hair. "She's clearly not worth your time, and definitely not worth you risking contracting hypothermia or pneumonia for."

Harry grinned. "But then I wouldn't have found my fair Alice."

Draco scowled and tugged at Harry's hair, causing the taller man to yelp in pain.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The next weekend, Harry brought Draco with him to a dinner party at The Burrow. Molly was pleased to see Harry coming, because he had avoided the Weasley residence like the plague ever since his break up with Ginny. Hermione was pleased as well to see that Harry no longer avoided Ginny and was able to talk to her like a friend.

Apparently dating Draco Malfoy had done him some good.

She raised an eyebrow when Harry called Draco 'Alice.'

She then rolled her eyes when Draco called Harry 'White Bunny.' Boys could be so immature sometimes.

**End of Story**

Well, that is it! I'm crappy at writing action scenes and such. I'm not sure how I got the idea for this, I think it has to do with one fic I read by someone I can't remember right now. In it, both Harry and Draco are Aurors, and they're investigating why a convict was after Draco. They were then sent to an island by the criminal, and had to fight their way out. The difference with this fic is that Harry has to fight his way _in_.

I make a habit of bringing a notebook and a pen with me wherever I go, so that when inspiration struck I could take them out and write it down quickly. It's been helping me a lot :P

By the way, I made up that thing about targeting Horntail's eyes, so it's not a fact.

Hope you enjoyed that :D if you do, do leave a comment coz I'm a comment whore :P


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